Angel Reese's defiant message amid Sky's struggles
The post Angel Reese's defiant message amid Sky's struggles appeared first on ClutchPoints.
It's not beyond measure to say that the high-profile Chicago Sky is in a jam at 2-6. Veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury, unquestionably hurts them.
Advertisement
Their 85-66 loss on Tuesday to the undefeated defending champion New York Liberty is the latest indication of a rebuilding team hindered. However, star forward Angel Reese is not giving up or giving in.
On Thursday, Reese put forward a statement of resolve and determination to keep on playing despite the team's struggles, per Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson of Scoopb.com.
In many ways, she equated basketball to the ups and downs of life.
'Yeah, understanding that this is real life, like I live,' Reese said. 'This is my life, nobody else's life.'
Reese also spoke of the simplicity of playing the game she loves.
Advertisement
'I wake up every day and I'm blessed,' she added. 'I get to come to work and play the game that I love.' Reese would later explain that she appreciates living where she wants and being able to support her family along the way.
She also recognizes she is in a growth period with the Sky and relishes in the journey towards the destination.
'So I get to wake up every day and do what I love, and I enjoy it, and I love it,' Reese said. 'And I think I just try to give myself a lot of grace, because I am young and I'm still trying to figure things out, and I don't make any excuses.'
The Sky are playing under first year coach Tyler Marsh, who's adamant about turning Reese into an all around player.
Angel Reese has come through for the Sky
Even with difficulties, Reese is on the cusp of another break-out season. On Tuesday, Reese made WNBA history by becoming the fastest player to reach 30 career double-doubles.
Advertisement
In that game, she finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. This year, Reese is averaging 10.1 points and 12.1 rebounds a game. Last year, Reese had a record-setting rookie season.
Reese became the fastest player to achieve 20 double-doubles in a season. For all the negatives, Reese is objectively a positive.
Related: Sky announce Allie Quigley jersey retirement
Related: Angel Reese's teammate sticking up for her draws Giannis' attention

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Shorthanded attack dooms Revolution, as Cincinnati wins at Gillette to end nine-match unbeaten run
Despite being credited with 74 percent of the possession in the second half, New England (6-5-5, 23 points) managed just five shots after the break, none of which much threatened Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. Its two best chances after halftime were a turnaround shot from substitute Maxi Urruti, which screamed past the top corner in the 71st minute, and a stoppage-time free kick from Carles Gil into the top netting. Related : Advertisement Wing backs Peyton Miller and Ilay Feingold frequently carried into the Cincinnati end, and Gil had plenty of possession in the center of the field, but neither could find teammates able to create dangerous chances. The Revolution were credited with just two shots on target for the match — a 12th-minute rip from Tomás Chancalay set up by Gil and Miller, and a bounding Matt Polster shot soon after halftime right at Celentano. Advertisement Up front, coach Caleb Porter turned to Chancalay and Luis Diaz, whose first MLS start since October 2022 included being dispossessed on a 52nd-minute breakaway without managing at attempt on Celentano. 'Probably the biggest moment that we really need to turn into a goal,' Porter said. Cincinnati's Lukas Engel (left) ran down New England's Luis Diaz in the second half, preventing him from putting a shot on goal. New England Revolution He brought on Urruti as support in the 64th minute, replacing right back Brayan Ceballos, who had picked up a yellow card in the 16th. Lacking another offensive option, however, Porter chose midfielder Jackson Yueill when Chancalay came off in the 80th. 'Honestly, I don't know what more you can do. We subbed on every attacking player we had available,' Porter said. 'We kept throwing the kitchen sink at them. We kept huffing and puffing and we just couldn't blow the house down.' The 80 minutes represented the most game action for the Argentine since returning in April from ACL surgery. Cincinnati (10-5-3, 33 points), which had allowed 10 goals in a four-match winless stretch before Saturday, produced its winner on the counterattack. Veteran Kei Kamara wheeled around New England's Tanner Beason with a deft touch, carrying into the Revolution end. The ball eventually got to Denkey in the penalty area. Blocked by the returning Ceballos, who'd missed a pair of matches with a head injury, Denkey passed across the field to Luca Orellano. Orellano fed a left foot back in front of goal, where Denkey — acquired for a Asked whether the Revolution would be shopping for attacking players when the summer transfer window begins late next month, Porter made clear the team knows what it needs. Advertisement 'I think we have some guys that can score, but health and run of games, we still haven't had a guy that's really taken the lead there, and you need that,' he said. 'For us to be a contender, you have to have a striker that gets 10-plus goals minimum. We need to find that guy, whether it's here or somewhere else.' New England had eight corners to Cincinnati's three on Saturday, and a 10-9 edge in shots. Aljaz Ivacic was credited with two saves, as well as stopping a pair of close-range deflections off teammates in the opening 10 minutes. The match began a run of three straight in Foxborough for the Revolution, who sit 11th in the Eastern Conference having played a conference-low 16 matches. New England is off until June 25, when it host Eastern contender Nashville.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Insider: LeBron James may opt out of current contract
By June 29, LeBron James needs to decide whether to opt into the final year of his current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers or opt out, presumably to sign a new, slightly longer deal. Shams Charania of ESPN recently reported that James is expected to simply play out that final year of his current deal, which would pay him $52.6 million next season. However, nothing is a foregone conclusion with him until it is official. Advertisement According to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, there seems to be a realistic chance that the 40-year-old will opt out and sign a new two-year contract. Via ClutchPoints: "Most echo Charania's reporting that James intends to opt in, but some sources close to the Lakers say they anticipate James opting out and signing another two-year deal worth near the max with a player option for the second season and another full no-trade clause," Irwin wrote. If James signs a new contract, the Lakers would have a certain level of salary cap flexibility, depending on the amount of money in that contract. "If the Lakers approached James and explained how taking slightly less would give them some necessary wiggle room under whichever apron, sources indicated that conversation would likely be productive, as they were just a year ago. "... To be absolutely clear, taking as close to his max as he wants would be completely within James' rights that he's earned over two decades in the NBA and in his Lakers tenure, and helping even a little bit would be a sign of good faith. It just also needs to be mentioned that this potential avenue to cap flexibility would be off the table. "... In order to get the Lakers under the luxury tax line so they have access to their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, James would have to take a discount of well over $10 million. As things currently stand, sources do indicate this is pretty unlikely. Technically, it isn't impossible, but the Lakers would be unwise to plan for this without crystal clear messaging from James and his camp. "In order to convince him to take such a cut, the Lakers would have to do their homework ahead of time and show him who this discount would help them get. "... Let's say James splits the difference and takes something like $7 million less next season. This would give the Lakers more room under the first apron, which would help them take back more in a trade than they send out. If you're hoping for a discount, this is probably the most practical thing to hope for." If James is serious about winning another NBA championship, which would be his fifth, the best path for him to take would be to take enough of a discount to give the Lakers the ability to use the full mid-level exception, which is expected to be worth $14.1 million. Otherwise, they would have the taxpayer mid-level exception of roughly $5.7 million. Advertisement Last summer, James was reportedly willing to take enough of a discount to open up access to the full mid-level exception for L.A. But after no free agent was willing to sign for that amount of money, he agreed to a larger amount of money — $48.7 million, to be exact, for the 2024-25 season. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Insider: LeBron James may opt out of current contract
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Claressa Shields Under Fire After Implying Angel Reese Didn't Deserve Her BET Sportswoman Of The Year Award
Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields was nominated for this year's BET Sportswoman of the Year Award, alongside other superstar athletes, including Sha'Carri Richardson, Simone Biles, A'ja Wilson, Dawn Staley, Juju Watkins, and, of course, the WNBA star Angel Reese. However, after Reese, whose impressive college career at LSU has carried over into her WNBA success with the Chicago Sky, won the BET honor for the third consecutive year, Shields voiced her confusion and frustration on social media. Advertisement After her posts began making waves, however, sports watchers and other online commentators quickly pushed back against her claims, defending Angel Reese and highlighting her many accomplishments in the process. An Olympic Gold Medalist Questioned How Angel Reese Won BET's Sportswoman Of The Year Award Over Her On X, Shields, a boxing world champion, was quick to voice her confusion over BET awarding the Sportswoman of the Year honor to Reese instead of her. "Still don't know how I didn't win the Sportswoman of the Year for the [BET Awards]," the athlete wrote on her profile before adding, "but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees. I just thought accolades mattered." Fans Fire Back At Shields, Defending Angel Reese's BET Win Fans were quick to fire back at Shields with their thoughts on her comments about Reese, with one saying, "Girl, don't get on her complaining. You're talented; don't let that get overshadowed." Advertisement Another wrote, "Sportsmanship applies outside the ring. Queen-up." Other online users pointed out that the award's criteria often extend beyond pure accolades and also recognize an athlete's cultural impact in and out of their sport. "This screams loser," someone commented. "You weren't even 2nd, 3rd, 4th OR 5th runner up. YOU wouldn't have won, [and] there's ladies on the nominee list that have more accolades than you." Shields Offers Clarification On Her Comments About Angel Reese, But Defends Her Position After receiving backlash for her initial post, Shields offered a clarification, insisting she wasn't implying that Reese wasn't a skilled player. Advertisement "I'm saying I thought the person with 'THE MOST' accolades [and] accomplishments would win the Award. I'm team Angel Reese!" she added. The heavyweight boxer's clarification sparked even more criticism, with users even listing Reese's recent accomplishments, prompting Shields to post another statement declaring she wasn't "joining in on any hate train" regarding Reese. "I have mad respect for her and all the other female athletes that excel in their sport," she added. "As for my earlier comments, I am allowed to express my feelings. I was shocked I didn't win. ... It's ok to be a competitor." Reese Breaks Her Silence On Winning SOTY For The Third Consecutive Year On June 10, following the Chicago Sky's game against the New York Liberty, where Reese posted another double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, the 6'3" power forward broke her silence on the controversy surrounding her monumental BET win. Advertisement "It's great," she said before acknowledging the commentators suggesting she wasn't worthy of the honor. "I just focus on basketball. I come into work every day and work. I don't complain, I don't care about anything else. I have bad days; I haven't been playing well at all." Reese, whose shooting efficiency has been a point of criticism this year, only connecting on about 36% of her shots from inside the arc, continued, "I take accountability. I come in every day and try and be better than the last. I know my teammates trust me; I know they have my back." "Everything else is everything else," she added. "I'm just here to come to work every day... and be able to enjoy my job." Reese Set Another WNBA Record After Earning Her 30th Double-Double Although the Sky lost to the Liberty by 19 in their most recent matchup, Reese did have something positive to celebrate after the game. Advertisement According to the WNBA, "Angel Reese [became] the fastest player in [the league's] history to reach 30 career double-doubles," securing that notch in only 42 games. A week before that, the basketball player set another record after becoming the fastest player to reach 500+ points and 500+ rebounds in WNBA history, earning that accolade in 38 regular-season games, another strong argument for why she earned her third BET award.